All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.

The new week (no. 4) began for the crew at the shifted wake-up time of 4:30 am EST. Sleep period tonight again starts at 8:00 pm. Tomorrow the day will be three hours longer (11:00 pm), followed by a three hour slip in wake-up time to 7:30 am on Wednesday to establish the final new day/night shift in preparation for the EVA-5 by Onufrienko and Walz on 1/14 (next Monday).

The EVA will be the fifth "Russian" Orlan-EVA on ISS and the fourth conducted from the Pirs docking compartment DC-1 (one brief EVA was conducted inside the RS [Russian segment] last June to prepare the nadir port of the SM transfer compartment PkhO for DC-1 arrival). It must be conducted over Russian communication sites (which explains the sleep cycle shift). EVA-5 is planned to begin at 3:56 pm EST (23:56 Decreed Moscow Time/DMT) on 1/14 and will last an estimated 5 h 5 min. Objective: removal of the second Strela cargo boom (GStM2) from the PMA-1 (pressurized mating adapter #1) between Node and FGB, transferring it to the DC-1 and installing it at the DC-1 external attachment site BTS2, roughly opposite Strela 1, attached earlier at on BTS1.

CDR Onufrienko and FE-1 Walz began preparing the equipment required for the spacewalk. These activities will be spread over the next few days, and the crew is expected to downlink suitable video footage on 1/8 for public release by PAO. In the course of these preps, CDR and FE-1 will ready the Orlan-M spacesuits (of which Onufrienko will use the new SS #14 unit delivered in DC-1), prepare EVA support panels and oxygen tanks in the PkhO and DC-1, and unstow suit replaceable units and spares from the backpacks (e.g., LiOH canisters, moisture collectors, feed water filters and storage batteries). Other preparations involve individual gear and garment pieces, EVA tools and equipment (tethers, cutters, containers with hammer, screwdriver, wrench, etc.), and readying both PkhO and DC-1 compartments for the EVA.

Onufrienko and FE-2 Bursch were also scheduled today to work inside the Progress 6P cargo vehicle, temporarily installing a container with US-21 matching units in place of the KTO (solid waste container). The US-21 units are used to interface the Service Module (SM) onboard equipment control system (SUBA) with the propulsion thrusters of the Progress vehicle (more precisely: with the Argon-16 computer of the Progress), to place them under the control of the SM's motion control and navigation system (SUDN). The task was estimated to take about 1 hour. After its completion, at MCC-M "Go", Onufrienko mated appropriate telemetry (TMI) connections to the BITS2-12 onboard measurement telemetry system, connected to the S-band.

Reason for the US-21 installation: Progress 6P, docked to the SM aft end, will be used for two reboost burns. They are scheduled for Wednesday, 1/9 (at 8:35 pm EST for 31 min 18 sec, and 10:43 pm for 26 min 1 sec). Total altitude increase is planned to be 19.6 km.

As of this morning, the ISS orbit had a mean altitude of 380.6 km (382.2 x 379 km), with inclination unchanged at 51.64 degrees to the equator. Each revolution takes 92.2 minutes (= period), and the station has circled Earth now 17896 times since launch of FGB/Zarya in November 1998.

Later in the day (4:40 pm EST) Onufrienko and Bursch are scheduled to inspect and photograph the glass panes of SM window #9, an earth-facing porthole in the module's transition section, of 42.6 cm (1.4 ft) diameter, which appears to have experienced an MMOD (micrometeoroid/orbit debris) hit. Using the DCS Kodak 460 digital camera, they will attempt to document glass defects (dark spots) on the window from various angles, with the window cover facing the sky background. They will also estimate the size and location of the defects, using a ruler. MCC-M has timed the inspection at the presumably best sun lighting of the glass, at 5-10 minutes prior to start of eclipse (orbit portion in Earth's shadow).

Dan Bursch continued replacement of the now obsolete and sometimes trouble-prone MSD (mass storage device) disk drives of U.S. MDMs (multiplexer/demultiplexer, computers) with the new SSMMUs (solid-state mass memory units). Today's R&R by Bursch dealt with payload MDM #2 (PL2) and took less than the allotted 2.5 hrs.

While Bursch started his part of the NASA/JSC renal (kidney) stone experiment by logging his diet and fluids intake, Walz today progressed to the first sample collection stage. The research activity is executed with great care since Moscow has voiced (and continues to have) concerns about possible environmental impacts in the event of spillage or rupture of a collection bag.

Using the Russian SM thrusters, flight attitude of the ISS was finally changed back today (2:00 pm EST) from XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) to LVLH TEA (local vertical/local horizontal -- torque equilibrium attitude). With this reference frame, the station rotates once while circling Earth, i.e., with respect to an inertial (space-fixed) reference frame like XPOP. The Russian equivalent to LVLH is known as OCK (orbital coordinate system).

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) targets were Western Mediterranean Dust and Smog (of interest: smog issuing out of the Rhone Valley at Marseilles into the Mediterranean [right of track]. Views of the Alps and entire boot of Italy left of track. Rome was at nadir), Nile Valley and Lake Nasser (crew was to look for intensive land use developments in the Nile valley), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (of interest: smog in the form of copper-colored sun glint on Lake Malawi right of track), and the Eastern Sierra Watershed (snow pack on the Southern Sierra).

Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS): O2 generator Elektron is On (24 amp mode). CO2 scrubber Vozdukh is in AUTO cycles mode, controlling to 4 mmHg. U.S. CO2 scrubber CDRA is Off. SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 777, temperature (deg C) 27.2, ppO2 (mmHg) -- 140.6, ppCO2 (mmHg) 4.0. SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 770, temperature (deg C) -- 21.2 FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) -- 772, temperature (deg C) -- 23.7 Node: Pressure (mmHg) -- 764.92, temperature (deg C) -- 23.1 (shell) U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) -- 765.42, temperature (deg C) -- 23.2, ppO2 (mmHg) n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) n/a; Joint Airlock: Pressure (mmHg) -- 764.92, temperature (deg C) -- 24.9. (Partial pressures ppO2 and ppCO2 in U.S. segment (USOS) not available because MCA [major constituent analyzer] is failed and in Extended Life mode).

Electrical Power Systems: Beta Gimbal Assembly BGA 2B in Autotrack, BGA 4B in Autotrack. 7 (of 8) SM batteries are in "partial charge" mode; battery #6 disconnected from main bus. FGB battery #2 disconnected from main bus; all others (5) in "partial charge" mode. Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Standby mode.

Thermal Control Systems: Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off. SKV-2 is Off.

Command & Data Handling Systems: Ñ&C MDM 2 is prime, C&C 3 is back-up, and C&C 1 is in standby. SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 2 is Off.

Communications Systems: S-band and Ku-band both operating nominally (Ku in autotrack, constrained per new Pointing Mode Ops Flight Rule). MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) operating nominally.

Source: NASA